frayed at the edge

A pleasant stroll

Now that it is dark in the mornings, I no longer go out for a walk ........ I torture myself on the cross trainer and rowing machine instead.  But I miss walking, so today I went for a walk after lunch (I strongly deny that I was trying to avoid doing the ironing!)  Usually I head up the hill towards the church, but for a change I went downhill.

Although it is still reasonably mild, most of the horses now have their blankets on

 

The sheep, of course, have their own woolly coats to keep them warm

 

And sometimes all you need is Mum

 

Along the way I was able to indulge my liking for gates ......

 

...... and falling down bits of old fences

 

It wouldn't be a walk in the country without one of these thundering past ........

 

....... and there are a lot of tractors about at the moment with these attachments on the back for cutting hedges - although as you can see our road has yet to be done

 

This sparrow was perched in the hedge across the road from us - he obviously didn't know that all the other sparrows in the neighbourhood were in our front garden, waiting for the feeders to be filled

 

I hope he arrived in time to share in the feasting on the fat balls!!

 

I have finished making/extracting from my stash a little pile of goodies to send off to my partner in Mousy Brown's swap.  All that is needed is an address label on the envelope, then it will be off to the post office on Saturday to send it. 

 

For lunch today we had homemade soup (I had apple and parsnip, Malcolm had pea and ham) and some of the sourdough bread we got yesterday - it was delicious!!

Emergency over!

Being a punctual person, I arrived at the dental centre 15 minutes early ...... and was taken after waiting for only five minutes.  Fifteen minutes later, my tooth was fixed, the bill was paid and I was heading for home.  Sadly Douglas, my dentist that I was so in love with, has now retired, so I was treated by my new dentist, Mr Prusek.  I think he is Eastern European ..... he sounds like a villain in a James Bond film 'you need a new fillink'.  He was very quick and efficient, and apart from the first prick of the needle, I didn't feel a thing - that's my kind of dentist!!

Back home, I made some apple and sultana chutney.  As so often happens, there was a little drop left over when I filled the jars ....... so what better way to try it than with a piece of crumbly extra mature cheddar and some slices of pear

 

 

We have had extremes of weather today - very bright sunny spells, mixed up with black skies and heavy rain.  So the birds were either sheltering .......

 

 

..... this little sparrow even had its head tucked under its wing

 

 

...... or tucking in before the next shower

 

 

For once the robin sat for long enough on the stone owl for me to take a photo

 

 

but he was determined to keep his back to me when he perched on the wooden owl

 

 

There haven't been any finches in the garden recently, so I was glad to see this one this morning

 

 

 

This afternoon I was out in the studio, continuing with my sporadic attempts to sort out my various stashes.  I have a lot of sample curtains, which I buy (very cheaply) from a shop in Hawick.  They take up a lot of room, so I have been gradually taking them apart, keeping the fabric, throwing out the little bits of header tape, and giving the lining fabric to Malcolm, who plans to use it as extra insulation in the loft.  So I reduced this pile ......

 

 

to this much smaller one

 

 

Now I have to resist the temptation to fill the empty spaces !!

 

 

To finish, some photos of last night's stunning sky

 

 

 

 

Dental emergency:part 2

I phoned the dental centre at 8.02am, and asked for an emergency appointment.  I had to give my name, what the problem was, and say if I was in pain (foolishly, as it turned out, I answered truthfully and said no).  I was then told that someone would phone me back to let me know if I could have an appointment today, but as I wasn't in pain it was unlikely - those in pain would have a higher priority. What??  I was told to phone back this morning for an appointment ...... no, the receptionist insisted, I wasn't told that at all.  I was very slightly cross after this conversation - did this mean that I would have to phone up every morning, and unless I lied and said I was in pain, there was little chance of getting an appointment?  I may not be in pain, but I am worried that the thin section of tooth where the filling fell out might break off.  Then, just after 9am, a bright and breezy phone call to say that I couldn't have an appointment today (no pain!), but I had an appointment for tomorrow (hooray).

On to happier things!  We went out for lunch to the Woodside Garden centre, which has a wonderful new website.  We sat next to the window, as usually there are lots of birds on the feeders, but because of the strong winds, there were very few birds about.  But I did manage to take some photos

 

 

 

 

After luch we had a stroll round the garden centre, which is set in an old walled garden.  There was a display of wonderful garden sculptures (there are details on the website) .......

 

 

 

......... and this large seedhead caught my eye - a cardoon

 

 

On the way home, we saw potatoes being harvested by large machines - very different from when the potatoes were harvested by hand, which was backbreaking work known as tattie howking

 

 

Back home, I went in to the lounge for something ..... and saw a nuthatch on the peanut feeder.  I rushed off and got the camera - but just as I got back to the lounge, a big bully-boy sparrow attacked the nuthatch and drove it off.  However it did briefly come back, and I took these (not very good ) photos

 

slightly blurred

 

 

a nice view of its bottom!

 

 

a slightly better view

When I googled nuthatch for a link, I discovered that there are dozens of them!!

 

I was out at knit'n'natter this afternoon, and this gave Malcolm the chance to have a go at baking a tarte tatin ...... and he took photos!

 

caster sugar and a little alcohol

 

 

bubbling away to turn into caramel

 

 

apples and brambles added ......

 

 

....... then dotted with butter

 

 

the puff pastry put on top and tucked in round the edges

 

 

after 30 minutes at 190 degrees

 

 

turned out on to the serving plate

 

 

the healthy option - low fat creme fraiche!

 

The tarte was delicious - I just wish you could somehow reach into your computer to have a taste!!

A small emergency

When I was brushing my teeth this morning, something didn't feel quite right.  A quick feel round with my tongue revealed that a filling had fallen out.  Unfortunately, this filling is in the back/down the edge of a front tooth (upper left two, to be precise) so it has left a gap.  Of course I immediately phoned the dentist ..... only to get a recorded message telling me that everyone was busy and to phone back later.  When this happened twice more, I said to Malcolm that I would just head down to the dental centre, in the hope of getting an emergency appointment.  When I got there, there was little sign of anyone being too busy to answer the phone!  I explained what had happened and asked if there was an appointment available for today.  The receptionist said no, and that I would have to phone tomorrow between 8am and 8.30, to ask for an emergency appointment.  I found this just a little bit puzzling - why couldn't I just make the appointment there and then?  Because you can only make an emergency appointment by phoning between etc.  So I will just have to hope that when I phone tomorrow morning, they aren't to busy to answer the phone!!

When I got home, things didn't get much better - there on the doormat was a cardboard envelope containing photos, clearly marked 'please do not bend' .......

 

 

Never mind, things then got better when I went out to the studio to do some sewing.  I finished the redwork block

 

 

Did some more work on the Baltimore block

 

 

Then I spent the afternoon watching an old film while I prepped more hexagons

 

 

When I transferred today's photos to the laptop before dinner, I realised that I had only taken the above four!  So after dinner, I settled down to take some photos of the sparrows on the bird feeders ....... but they preferred for some time to sit in the hawthorn tree

 

 

But eventually, this male decided to tuck in to the seed in the feeder

 

 

 

 

While this one had a look on the ground for food - you can see from his ruffled feathers that it is quite windy here!

 

Thoroughly spoiled!

I had a wonderful day yesterday, starting with a delicious breakfast-in-bed made by Malcolm (sorry, no photo, much too early!)  ........ smoked salmon and scrambled egg, served with sundried tomato and parmesan bread which I had made on Saturday (ok - I put a packet mix in the bread machine!!)  Later, we popped down to Sainsbury's to get the Sunday papers, and while there we had a cuppa and shared a Belgian bun - a special treat for my birthday!  Stuart arrived at lunchtime and we headed over to the cheesery, where we bought several tasty cheeses.  We then set off for a spot of lunch - only to find that the place we had chosen was closed!  However, we went instead to the Jammy Coo, where we had very tasty paninis (Malcolm and I shared one, having had the bun!)

Now we finally get to some photos ....... the wonderful dinner which Malcolm made for us.  The dining room was just dark enough to light the candles and turn on the lamps

 

 

We didn't have a starter - just straight to the main course ...... and what a main course!  Wonderful, tender venison, with a raspberry and bramble jus, and delicious vegetables

 

 

Then ........ the lemon meringue pie!  It was sooooo good (and I won't tell tales about Malcolm and Stuart having second helpings!)

 

 

We had our wine in our beautiful engraved wineglasses - and I couldn't resist taking this 'arty'  photo of the candle shining through the glass!

 

 

I finally finished the scarf ...... I was glad to find that I hadn't missed another bobble - it had somehow gone through to the wrong side.

 

 

I have finished knitting the item for the swap I am doing over at Emily's blog, and have started on a pair of socks for me.  As there are so many colours in the yarn, I am just doing a plain sock

 

 

To finish ....... if you have a comment form like this one on your blog

 

...... you may have noticed that I haven't left a comment for a few days.  Every time I try, either the comment vanishes, or I get an error message.  I am still reading all of my favourite blogs, and if I could comment, I would say that it's the most wonderful/interesting/profound/moving/funny post, illustrated with the most amazing photos!!

A special day

I set off earlier than usual this morning for Borderland Fabrics, as we were having a very special day.  People all over Britain were today hosting coffee mornings for The Macmillan Fund - but instead of just a coffee morning, we had a soup, sandwich and home baking extravaganza!

Things got under way not long after we arrived, when we were presented with a plate of goodies to have with our morning cuppa

 

 

For lunch. there was a choice of sweet potato and parsnip soup, which I had (absolutely delicious) .....

 

 

...... and leek and potato - also declared delicious by those who chose it

 

 

Then a selection of sandwiches - I had mentioned to Malcolm that there would of course be  cheese savoury sandwiches.  He asked why I was so sure.  I replied that there would be a riot if there weren't any, as we all like them (they are the ones at the top of the photo)

 

 

Then more cakes appeared - but I have to admit I had an extra sandwich rather than a cake, as I prefer savoury things

 

 

We had just recovered from lunch, when afternoon tea was announced!!

 

 

Of course we all made a donation to the Macmillan Fund for such a wonderful day  ........ then Annette, the owner of Borderland Fabrics, said that she wasn't taking the usual payment for our Friday session, but perhaps we would like to donate that as well - which of course we did.   Many thanks to Annette and her helpers for providing us with such a wonderful day, in aid of a very good cause.

Back home, the robin was ousted from the bird bath by a sparrow!

 

 

 

 

While the sparrow was having his bath, a great tit was tucking into the peanuts (you can see that all the fat balls were eaten while I was out)

 

 

 

This is a special weekend ..... it's my birthday on Sunday!  Stuart is coming down on Sunday and staying until Monday, but unfortunately Alison can't come as she has to work on Monday.  For my birthday dinner, Malcolm is cooking venison (because Stuart likes it) and for pudding he popped up to M&S in Galashiels this morning for their wonderful lemon meringue pie (yes, you've guessed - it's Stuart's favourite!!)   I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, love Anne

 

Tough love!

You may remember that some time ago, I had to give the orchids a good talking to, as they simply weren't earning their keep.  I had moved them off the kitchen windowsill this morning when I was doing the housework, and as I went to put them back, I thought you might like to see the effect that stern talking to had!

 

this is just a litttle one

 

 

this one still has more buds to open

 

 

this one has been flowering for weeks, and now a second shoot is about to flower

 

 

these three will flower soon

 

Inspired by this post by Rattling On, I took this photo this afternoon of the ivy in the front lounge.  As you can see, it has started twining round the candlestick!

 

 

I collected the little hare lino cut from Denise today - she has made a wonderful job of framing it, and if you have a look at her website, you will see that she also does wonderful pet portraits

 

 

The robin has been back in the bird bath - he is definitely the cleanest bird in the garden!

 

 

 

 

 

As well as being inspired by Rattling On's ivy, I had a moment of deja vu with her post today, as it shows butterflies on a sedum ....... I had taken similar photos yesterday - and I took some more today, as the butterflies enjoyed the sunshine

 

 

 

 

 

To finish - after taking the photos of the orchids, I replaced what usually sits on that spot on the shelf - my very cute holder for my mobile phone!

 

 

Green machine .......

........ this is our inverter in the loft

 

which takes the direct current from the solar panels and turns it into alternating current, which we can use.  We don't actually need bright sunshine for the panels to start generating, just daylight.  If the panels generate more electricity than we are using in the house, then the excess is exported to the grid.  This little meter in the hall cupboard tells us how much we are producing

 

Now comes the good part - under a government scheme, we are paid for every unit of electricity that we generate, plus a little more for every unit we export to the grid ......... and every unit that we use means a corresponding decrease in our electricity bill.  I think that's what you call a win/win situation (although of course we did have to invest in the solar panels!)

 

 

While all the technical/electrical work was going on this morning, I popped the big lens on the camera and headed into Hawick.  I had noticed these figures on a chimney some time ago, and finally I remembered to take some photos.  The figures are rather grimy and in need of some tlc.  Unfortunately there was a tv aerial in the way ...

 

 

 

But the only angle which excluded the aerial meant pointing the camera at the sun

 

 

Still looking up, first I saw these old chimneys

 

 

 

then something special at the top of this building

 

 

a thistle on the right (symbolising Scotland)

 

 

and a rose on the left (for England)

 

 

I think this view along the river looks quite continental

 

 

The heron was enjoying the sunny morning, standing on the riverbank preening

 

 

It is such a handsome bird, I never tire of taking photos of it - and it very kindly showed me both profiles!

 

 

 

Back home, the birds are on a somewhat smaller scale!  I am still trying to get photos of them on the birdbath .... but these sparrows were just sitting in the hawthorn tree laughing at me!

 

 

Eventually a sparrow did pose prettily on top of the stone owl

 

 

and the robin was a bright spot among the sparrows

 

 

I'm off on another day out tomorrow - this time to the autumn quilt show, which is also the Scottish Championships.  As well as lots of quilts, there will also be TRADERS ..... but of course I couldn't possibly buy anything so soon after my trip to Harrogate .......

For the first time ever........

....... I didn't mind doing the ironing, as I had two very special DVDs to watch while doing it!  When we lived in Indonesia, we were able to watch an Australian country music channel on satellite tv, and that's when we discovered that we enjoyed country music!  After my successful purchase of the Martina McBride DVD, I had a hunt on ebay for my favourite country singer Reba McEntire.  Yesterday morning, the DVDs arrives

 

 

 

All my favourite tracks are on the DVDs, including duets with Brooks and Dunn (I am totally and completely in love with Ronnie Dunn, despite his having a beard!) and Vince Gill (his amazing voice gives me shivers).  There is also a video I hadn't seen before, with Martina McBride, Trisha Yearwood and Linda Davis.  Over the years, Reba has gone from big hair

 

 

To short hair

 

 

And more recently to in between hair!

 

 

I'm including this photo of Ronnie Dunn just so that I can have a little swoon!!

 

 

Since Malcolm rearranged the owls in the front garden, I have been trying to take photos of birds perching on them ...... but I think they see the camera and refuse to co-operate, like these sparrows who preferred to bask in the afternoon sun

 

 

Later on, I took the battery out of the camera to recharge it ...... and within minutes, there were birds on all of the owls!! 

After a miserable start, the weather improved and Malcolm finally got both cars washed (we had forgotten what they looked like under all the mud!)  When he finished, he relaxed in the sun with a beer - something which hasn't happened much over the dreary summer!

 

 

As usual when we were in Hawick this morning, we went for a cuppa and a scone - today we had rum and raisin - delicious

 

 

To finish, a rather strange photo .......just as I took it, the scene in the video changed, so that you actually see a mixture of the two scenes - it looks decidedly ghostly!

 

Cheese glorious cheese!

Despite the wind and rain, I joined my friends to visit Standhill Cheesery, which you can read about here and here.  We were made very welcome by the owners, Annie and Jimmy.  As soon as we sat down, we were given a glass of wine ..... well, you can't taste cheese without wine, can you!  Annie and Jimmy were very entertaining as they told the story of how they came to start the cheesery, and of some of the disasters along the way (the word 'rancid' was used!)   We were able to look into the room where the cheese is made (we couldn't go in because of hygiene regulations).  These cheeses had been made earlier in the day, and were scheduled to go into the chiller after we left

 

 

The soft cheeses are ready in a few weeks, the hard cheeses can take up to two years to be ready.  All of them were delicious........

 

 

 

 

........ and multi award winning

 

 

 

Then, of course, we had the opportunity to buy some cheese ....... and quite a lot came home with me!  These ones are produced on the premises

 

 

while these two are made for them with sheep and goat milk

 

 

It was  a very enjoyable visit and then we finished the evening by going for a meal ...... I had a mixed grill (yes, I had one of my rare treats of chips with it), but I declined the peas and tomato, neither of which I like.  (as I wasn't driving, I also had a very nice glass of wine!)

 

 

This morning, while we were enjoying our post-breakfast cuppa and reading our books, Malcolm noticed a rainbow.  I dashed out with the camera to capture it

 

 

I had hardly sat down and resumed reading, when Malcolm said that there was now a double rainbow (he faces the window, I sit at right angles to it, which is why he saw it and I didn't).  I rushed out into the garden again - just as a very heavy shower started!  But it was worth getting wet, as not only was there a double rainbow (the outer one is quite faint) ........

 

 

....... but the entire rainbow was visible

 

 

 

When we were in Hawick this morning, we had our usual detour to see if the heron was on the River Slitrig ...... I just had time to take a couple of photos before there was yet another heavy shower!

 

 

 

Back home, the feeders were crowded with birds, with the robin making use of the owl's head to wait for a chance to tuck in!